


Overheard

by huffellepuff



Category: She Loves Me - Bock/Harnick/Masteroff
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-03
Updated: 2016-07-03
Packaged: 2018-07-19 23:11:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7381324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/huffellepuff/pseuds/huffellepuff
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>About six months ago, I got a prompt (from an anon) that I am just now getting around to filling: </p><p>Georg/Amalia + 20: things you said that I wasn't meant to hear.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Overheard

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place post-Vanilla Ice Cream, pre-Twelve Days to Christmas.

Amalia walked to work in a state of panic. Ever since Mr. Nowack left her apartment yesterday, he had been the only thing she could think about. She cycled between bewilderment at the change in his behavior, excitement at what he said about Dear Friend, happiness over the possible beginnings of friendship, and a nagging concern that she tried to ignore. But of course, trying to ignore a feeling is probably the best way to make sure it takes hold, so that was the one at the forefront of her mind.

The concern had set in shortly after Amalia took a break from trying to write her response to Dear Friend. As she sat eating the ice cream he had brought her, a question popped into her head: what if Mr. Nowack was actually Dear Friend? She laughed at herself and dismissed it initially, but it started to sink in that it wasn’t entirely impossible. He _was_ at the cafe that night, he did seem to know the situation she was in, he showed such kindness today, and then...the Anna Karenina thing. She told herself that all of these things were as likely to be coincidences as they were to be evidence, but she couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like if he really was Dear Friend. Needless to say, she did not get a lot of rest on her day off.

So, as she made her way to Maraczek’s, she frantically tried to prepare herself for whatever she may face when she walked in. If Mr. Nowack treated her as rudely as he had in the past? She could just move forward and ignore it as usual. If he was kind again? She would be happy to accept the olive branch and begin a new friendship. If he told her he was Dear Friend…? Well, there was no plan for that yet, but that seemed to be the least likely option anyway. She arrived a few minutes early, but hid around the corner of the shop to compose herself before entering. She could totally handle this, she just needed to stay calm.

“Miss Balash!” Mr. Nowack called to her as soon as she walked in the door. “Are you feeling better today?”

“Oh, much better Mr. Nowack, thank you,” she said with a smile. As much as she had told herself she’d be okay with things being as they were before, she was relieved by his easy tone.

“I’m glad to hear it!” he replied, grinning in a way that made Amalia blush, much to her horror. 

“Well, I’d better get to the back and get ready before we open!” she blurted, pushing quickly past him and towards the workroom doors before he could see her face. 

So much for staying calm. 

 

As the day went on, their interactions ranged from friendly to awkward. She was glad that the antagonism between them seemed to have disappeared, but she didn’t know what to make of this new dynamic. One moment they’d be chatting like old friends (and she had to admit, those moments were wonderful), and the next she’d panic and either freeze up or find an excuse to leave the conversation. It was ridiculous. 

Just after closing, he had approached her about a book he had offered to loan her, and Amalia felt the heat rising in her cheeks once again. For some reason, she could not seem to control her emotions around him anymore. As she began to create a reason why she needed to go, he interrupted her.

“Nevermind, Miss Balash, I know you’re busy,” he said quietly. An almost imperceptible frown had begun on his face. “Just let me know if you ever do want to borrow it.”

As he turned away from her and headed towards the workroom, she suddenly felt ashamed. In her attempts to hide the mixed feeling she was experiencing, she was probably being somewhat rude. She wanted so badly to make things right, to be at least friends, and instead she managed to alienate him. She would have to tell him the truth - at least about that part. He deserved to know that he hadn’t done anything wrong, that she was just nervous about ruining their new friendship. That was clean, simple, and honest. Well, honest enough. He didn’t need to know _all_ of the reasons she was acting so strangely.

Determined to clear the air, she went to go speak with him. As she reached the workroom door, though, she paused at the sound of voices on the other side.

“Miss Balash is driving me crazy,” Georg said. Amalia couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Here she was, coming to make things right, and he was complaining about her?

“Well that’s nothing new,” Sipos replied, “though it really looked to me like you were both getting along today.”

“That’s just the thing,” Georg sighed. “Sometimes I felt like we were, but then she’d suddenly stop, like she caught herself being nice to me and couldn’t stand it.”

“Well, her being nice to you at all is at least a step in the right direction,” Sipos offered.

“I suppose…” Georg trailed off. “I just...I love her, Ladislav. Two days ago I couldn’t stand her, and now I’m heartsick over _Amalia Balash_ and terrified that she won’t be able to feel the same way, when I suddenly can’t imagine my life without her.”

Amalia froze, unable to process what she was hearing. He was _in love with her_? It didn’t make any sense. He had always been so mean to her, as she had been to him, how could he possibly love her? Unless...he really was Dear Friend. She took a breath and leaned in to listen more, but was alarmed to hear the voices getting closer.

“I’ll just have to keep trying and hope for the best, I guess,” Georg said from almost directly behind the door. Amalia stepped back quickly, deciding to go with her original plan of making amends, and worrying about the rest later.

“Mr. Nowack!” she said as soon as he walked into the room, forcing a smile on her face. “Can I speak to you for a moment?”

He looked somewhat panicked, and she realized that he may (correctly) think she overheard what he had been saying.

“I just wanted to talk to you about that book you offered to lend me,” she said, hoping it would calm him. “I’ve been a little distracted today, but I really am interested.”

“Oh! Well, I have it here, if you’d like to borrow it now?” he asked, a grin growing on his face that she couldn’t help but return.

“I’d like that, thank you,” she said, trying to will herself to stop blushing, and failing miserably. “And I apologize if I’ve been acting a little strange today, you’ve been so kind, and like I said I was rather distracted, I’m...I’m happy with the direction our, um, relationship has taken, and I was kind of worried about ruining it.” 

“That’s quite alright, Miss Balash,” he said, grinning even more than before and pulling the book from his jacket pocket. “I’m happy with it too, but it wouldn’t be us if there weren’t a few bumps along the way.”

“Very true, Mr. Nowack.” She smiled up at him. Realizing that she was in danger of revealing her feelings - feelings which she herself didn’t even know how to label - she quickly added, “Well, I had better head home so I can start reading!” 

“Good night, Miss Balash,” he said, and she could hear the smile in his voice as she walked away.

While she got her things together to go home, she felt so much lighter than she had before, and relieved that things seemed to be at least okay with Georg. She said goodnight to Mr. Sipos, ignoring his knowing smirk, and made her way out of the shop. 

On her walk to the bus stop, she allowed herself to think again about what she had overheard. It seemed impossible now that Dear Friend could be anyone other than Georg, but if that was so, what did that mean for her? She had truly believed herself in love with Dear Friend and in hate with Georg, and now she had to reconcile those things. If she had heard two days earlier that he loved her, she probably would have been horrified and confused. But now, the thought caused butterflies in her stomach in a way that even his letters hadn’t. She was loved by Georg Nowack and, in all likelihood, she loved him back. This would take some getting used to.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, I'm so excited that people actually care about having fic in this fandom! As always, I welcome all joyous yelling about SLM at amaliabalash.tumblr.com.


End file.
